Even as customers in the U.S. are finding Apple's iPad 2 is in short supply, the Cupertino maker of Mac computers and "i" devices is moving ahead with the launch of the tablet computer Friday -- as promised -- in 25 more countries.

"We're experiencing amazing demand for iPad 2 in the U.S., and customers around the world have told us they can't wait to get their hands on it," Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in a news release today. "We appreciate everyone's patience and we are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone."

Although Apple has not released details, analysts have said the company -- like numerous other tech manufacturers -- could be hurt by suppliers' production problems in the aftermath of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan.

The iPad 2 will be available starting 5 p.m. local time Friday at stores and 1 a.m. online in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the U.K., Apple said in the news release. (Last week, the company said it was delaying the iPad 2 launch in Japan as employees and their families work to recover from the disaster.)

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Apple today also disclosed that it will begin selling the iPad 2 next month in Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore.

"Given the unprecedented demand for the iPad 2 that has been consistently experiencing serial stock outs across the country and growing concerns surrounding the supply chain in Japan, we view the international launch of the iPad 2 as per schedule as incrementally positive for Apple's stock price," Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White noted in an email today.

Apple shares, by the way, finished regular trading today at $341.20, up $1.90, or 0.6 percent, from Monday's closing price.

The price will start at $499 for a tablet with 16 gigabytes of storage and Wi-Fi connectivity -- the same as Apple's iPad 2. A 32GB model costs $599, and a 64GB version costs $699. RIM describes it as the "first professional-grade tablet."

Customers can place advance orders today at Best Buy. Wirless carriers including AT&T, Verizon Wireless and Sprint will be among other retailers also selling the PlayBook.

Adobe earnings

Adobe Systems -- the San Jose maker of expensive graphic design and Internet software -- this afternoon reported a $234.6 million profit for its most recent quarter, up 84 percent from a year earlier. Revenue climbed nearly 20 percent to a record $1.028 billion.

"Our record results in Q1 represent our sixth consecutive quarter of sequential revenue growth," Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen said in a statement accompanying the results. "Adobe's vision for transforming how the world is creating, measuring and delivering digital experiences is resonating with our customers, and our solutions are enabling us to target large addressable markets that are fueling our growth.

Earnings came in at 46 cents a share, slightly under analysts' expectation of 47 cents, according to Bloomberg News. For its current quarter, Adobe expects revenue in a range of $970 million to $1.02 billion. According to Bloomberg, analysts had been expecting $1.04 billion.

Adobe Chief Financial Officer Mark Garrett noted that the company has been hurt by the disaster in Japan. "Our hearts go out to everyone in Japan," he said in the news release. "Although Adobe has a very diversified business, Japan is our second-largest country from a revenue perspective. "... Given the uncertain business environment in Japan, we are being prudent and have reduced our revenue expectation for our second quarter by $50 million."

Adobe reported results after the stock markets closed this afternoon. Earlier, the shares closed at $32.88, up 54 cents, or 1.7 percent.

More tech headlines

Google: A federal judge had rejected a proposed settlement between the Mountain View Internet juggernaut and publishers and authors over Google's plan to make digital versions of numerous books.

According to a Merc report, U.S. District Judge Denny Chin ruled that the settlement "would simply go too far" -- giving Google "a significant advantage over competitors, rewarding it for engaging in wholesale copying of copyrighted works without permission, while releasing claims well beyond those presented in this case."

Pageonce: The Palo Alto mobile finance upstart has added two investors to its board of advisers -- former PayPal and Intuit CEO Bill Harris and former Intuit and current Charles Schwab Corp. executive Mark Goines.

Pageonce, founded in 2008, offers apps for the iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7 and the Web that help users keep track of their personal finances.

"Bill and Mark, who have run both large global operations and pioneering startups, bring broad and deep experience in financial technology," Pageonce CEO Guy Goldstein said in a news release.

Harris and Goines are angel investors in the company, which also has received VC funding from Pitango Venture Capital. Pageonce has received a total of $10 million in funding, according to an email from the company.

Silicon Valley tech stocks

Up: Apple, Google, Cisco Systems, Gilead Sciences, VMware, Yahoo.

Netflix stock climbed today. According to Bloomberg News, Credit Suisse Group raised its rating on shares of the Los Gatos online movie pioneer to "outperform" from "neutral." Netflix closed at $221.39, up $8.55, or 4 percent.

Down: Oracle, Intel, Hewlett-Packard, eBay.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index: Down 8.22, or 0.3 percent, to 2,683.87.

And the widely watched Standard & Poor's 500 index: Down 4.61, or 0.4 percent, to 1,293.77.

Check in weekday afternoons for the 60-Second Business Break, a summary of news from Mercury News staff writers, The Associated Press, Bloomberg News and other wire services. Contact Frank Russell at 408-920-5876. Follow him at Twitter.com/mercspike.